


FEH Day of Devotion Ficlets

by diethope



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 03:44:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13895529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diethope/pseuds/diethope
Summary: A few short pieces written for the Fire Emblem Heroes Day of Devotion. Posted first on Tumblr.





	1. Fjorm/Sharena

**Author's Note:**

> These are on Tumblr, but I figured I might as well post them here too. The holiday might be over, but I had more ideas for the Day of Devotion so more things might end up here eventually.

Fjorm spends most of the Day of Devotion alone.

As grateful as she is for the aid of the Askran kingdom and the Order of Heroes, she often feels set apart from the others. She goes to the festival with Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, and Kiran, but when it becomes obvious to her that all they want to do is enjoy the day off, she doesn’t really know what to do with herself. She hovers awkwardly on the edge of their conversation for a while, and eventually lets herself fade back into the crowd.

All around her Fjorm sees happy couples enjoying a special afternoon together. She sees parents playing festival games with small children. She sees siblings laughing and teasing one another. She sees other Heroes, out enjoying a day off.

It usually happens at night, when she’s laying alone in the dark. The feeling of loneliness crashes over her and she’s so paralyzed by grief that she feels like she can barely breath. When it happens at night, Fjorm can handle it because she’s alone, and there’s no one there to judge her.

Fjorm isn’t alone right now. She’s in the middle of a crowded plaza and she can feel her hands shaking with grief. She wishes that she had brought Leiptr, just to have something to hold. She feels frozen. Her feet will not move and a couple almost walks into her, she stops so suddenly. She can feel people staring as they maneuver past her.

Someone takes her hand.

It’s Sharena. “There you are!” she says. She’s smiling bright enough to melt even Fjorm’s frozen limbs, and her hair is slightly mussed. “I turned around to talk to Kiran and you were just gone! And then we got roped into fighting in the tournament and well- oh, what am I doing, making excuses like this? I’m sorry you got left behind!”

Fjorm doesn’t know what to say. Finally, she forces herself to smile, just a little, and says, “It’s fine. I was enjoying the walk.”

Sharena frowns and for a second, Fjorm thinks she might point out the lie. But she doesn’t. Her smile softens, becomes more personal. “I was going to head back to the castle now, if you want to head back with someone.”

Fjorm has wanted few things in her life more than she wants to go back to the castle right now. She nods, and expects Sharena to let go of her hand as they head back.

She doesn’t. Sharena’s hand is warm and solid, her fingers calloused from years of wielding Fensalir.

They arrive back at the castle, and it’s practically deserted. “Ah, looks like everyone’s still at the festival,” Sharena says. She’s still holding Fjorm’s hand.

Fjorm isn’t sure where to go from here, and is trying to think of a way to excuse herself when Sharena says, “You should come to the kitchen with me, I have a surprise for you!”

Fjorm isn’t sure she wants a “surprise,” but she can’t think of a good reason to say no, so she lets Sharena lead her into the kitchens.

Even the castle staff has the day off for the festival, so Sharena and Fjorm have the space all to themselves. Fjorm perches herself awkwardly on a hard wooden chair while Sharena flits around the room, gathering ingredients for something. It doesn’t take Fjorm very long to figure out what she intends to make.

“So I did some research,” Sharena begins, “and I found out that in Nifl, people drink hot chocolate on special occasions! I don’t know if something like today would normally count, but…”

Fjorm feels like she might cry, but she doesn’t. Instead, she stands up and surveys the gathered ingredients. “Do you have any cinnamon? My mother always used to make it that way.”

Sharena takes the suggestion as approval, and disappears back into the pantry to reappear a moment later with a glass jar filled with cinnamon. She sets it down on the counter and then rolls up her sleeves with gusto, grinning as she says, “Alright, let’s do this!”

To Fjorm, the motions are familiar even if the place isn’t, and she takes comfort in the simply task. She hasn’t done this since her mother’s death, and it’s hard at first. But Sharena helps when her hands falter, and that’s enough.

Half an hour later the two of them are seated at the rough, wooden kitchen table, sipping at two large mugs of hot chocolate. There is content silence for a moment and then Sharena says, “Thanks for indulging me in this.”

“It’s no trouble,” Fjorm replies, and it’s only partially a lie. “I enjoyed it.”

“I’m glad!” Sharena quiets for a moment and then continues, “I know it’s not anything fancy, but I was hoping you’d think of this as a Day of Devotion gift.”

Fjorm isn’t sure exactly what that means, or what to day, so she just stares down at her half full mug. “If you meant it to be a gift, than I will think of it as one,” she finally says, looking up almost shyly.

Sharena beams. “Good! Because honestly Fjorm, I’ve loved having you here in Askr so much! I wish that we had met under better circumstances, but still, I’m glad we did meet. I want to,” Sharena pauses, seemingly to steel herself, “I want to get to know you better. And not just as fellow members of the Order of Heroes, but as friends. And maybe… as something more than friends.”

For once, Fjorm doesn’t hesitate. “I’d like that.”

And Sharena smiles at her, and Fjorm’s world seems a little less cold.


	2. Veronica & Xander

Veronica and Xander are having their daily walk through the gardens, discussing the war effort as per usual (or rather Xander is talking about the war effort, and Veronica is nodding along, despite her usual disinterest), when Xander suggests they sit and rest in one of the gazebos.

It’s unlike Xander enough to break Veronica out of her usual apathy, so despite her not actually saying anything one way or another, Xander takes her genuine attention as confirmation that she would like to sit for a while, and starts down one of the garden’s twisting paths towards the gazebo at the center.

What Veronica sees when they arrive gives her pause. “What is all this?” she asks, gesturing at the gazebo.

Someone had brought a small tea table and two chairs from the castle and set them within the gazebo. The table is set with a dark red tablecloth, silver teapot with matching cups and saucers, and a small collection of sweets baked into the shapes of hearts and roses. In the center sits a bouquet of lavender flowers in a glass vase.

“Intelligence reports tell us that the Askran forces have largely taken the day off for some holiday, the Day of Devotion, and are held up in the town surrounding the Order of Heroes. Unless you intend to launch a direct assault on the Order of Heroes,” -which Veronica doesn’t, even she knows that wouldn’t be worth the risk-, “it seems we have a day off,” Xander explains.

Veronica stares at the table, turns to look at Xander, then looks back at the table. She is having a difficult time comprehending what exactly is going on.

“Did you do this?”

“I had a bit of help from the castle staff, but yes, I did,” Xander replies. He begins to head towards one of the chairs, continuing as he goes, “Come and sit down. You already agreed to spend some time with me, I won’t let you get out of it now.”

Veronica could hear the smile in his voice, and she wonders suddenly when she had spent enough time with Xander to be able to hear that he was smiling at her. It gives her a strange feeling, to be conscious of that fact.

Setting aside her mild discomfort, Veronica takes her seat across from Xander and, with nothing better to focus on, sets herself to appraising the arrangement of snacks. Upon closer inspection, she notices that the rose shaped ones had petals made out of thin apple slices, a favorite snack of hers. Did Xander know that? Or had someone in the kitchen told him?

Xander pours Veronica a cup of tea before pouring one for himself, and then sets the sugar dish next to her saucer so she doesn’t have to reach across the table to get it.

How long has he been doing that? Veronica wonders. Has her relationship with him really progressed so slowly that she hadn’t noticed the change until now? Veronica starts, thinking, Is this how friendships normally work?

“Have you been feeling well lately?” Xander asks. He takes a sip of his tea as he seems to gather his thoughts, and Veronica quickly stuffs an entire pastry into her mouth to avoid answering. “You’ve been particularly quiet recently. I thought something might have happened.”

Veronica takes her time chewing and swallowing in a decidedly un-ladylike manner. Xander, she thinks sullenly, is the only person brave enough to ask her about her bad mood. Everyone else in the castle knows to mind their own business.

After a heavy moment of silence, during which Xander doesn’t seem the least bit fazed, Veronica asks, “Why?”

“Why?” Xander repeats, not sure he understands the question. “It seemed as though you were being especially aloof the past several days, and not even Bruno’s appearance in the castle seemed to make you-”

“No, not that,” Veronica says. She doesn’t want to hear how Xander is going to finish that statement. “I mean, why all this?” She gestures to the table, to the neatly laid out tea set and the vase full of flowers.

Xander doesn’t take offense to being cut off. Quite the opposite really, as he chuckles a little and says, “I was informed that the Day of Devotion is not just a lover’s holiday in this world. Friends, family, and partners alike celebrate the special day, and so I wanted to celebrate with you.”

Veronica suddenly feels hyper aware of herself, as if this is the first time she has been truly present in a long time. She isn’t sure she likes it. “I’ve never celebrated the Day of Devotion before,” she says, because she feels like she should say something.

Xander smiles at her, really smiles this time, the small, personal smile that Veronica has only seen a few times. Her stomach feels warm, and she smiles back, just a little. To most people, it would probably look like a grimace, but Xander understands and understands the gesture for what it is.

“Then it will be a first for both of us,” Xander says. “You must forgive me for not getting you a gift, as I have heard is customary. I could hardly think of anything to get you that you had not already gotten for yourself, and I thought you might like this better.”

Veronica so rarely has willing guests to have tea with her, so she supposes Xander is right. She makes a thoughtful hum and then says, “Well, I suppose it’s good enough, if you really couldn’t think of a better gift.”

Xander takes the statement as the compliment that it is, and smiles again. “I’m glad that it meets your standards, princess. I’m something of an expert at tea parties, I’ll have you know. My two youngest sisters adore them.”

“Oh? Yours sisters?” Veronica says, herself not quite sure what it means. She knows, of course, that Xander has siblings, so she isn’t surprised. But still, it it makes her a little uncomfortable, to have Xander bring up a personal topic like his little sisters. Veronica would really prefer to not discuss family with anyone, ever.

“Yes, I believe you met all three of them, although I must admit that lately, I have begun to think of you as one of my little sisters as well, Veronica,” Xander says.

Veronica finds it hard to believe that Xander would ever think of her as a younger sister when he clearly had three perfectly functional ones already. She takes a sip of tea to mask her rising discomfort, although why exactly she feels this way is a mystery to her. “Is that so?” she finally replies, feigning disinterest.

Xander continues on, “As princesses, my sisters have always gotten everything and anything they could ever ask for. But I realized eventually that what they loved most, my middle most sister especially, was the time we could spend together, even if it wasn’t much. I want to give that gift to you as well.”

Veronica has stopped being able to make eye contact altogether. She has little experience dealing with the genuine feelings of others, and even less dealing with her own. She doesn’t know how to proceed, so she just asks, “Why?” There’s no inflection to the word. She could have been asking Xander why the sky was blue, for all the emotion she put into the question.

Xander has clearly been asking himself this question as well, because he doesn’t hesitate with his answer. “As children, my siblings and I were often isolated, even from one another. In that way, you remind me of my sisters, and once I realized how strongly you resembed them in my mind, I couldn’t help but want to stay with you, and bridge the gap between us, if I could.”

Veronica feels lightheaded, and eats another entire pastry to mask the feeling. “Mmmhmmm,” she says, around her mouth full of food.

“If this is overstepping my bounds as you servant, than I apologize. It was never my intention to-” Xander begins, but stops abruptly when Veronica shakes her head.

They both wait in silence for a moment as Veronica finishes chewing and takes a long sip from her tea. “I don’t know what having a brother means,” she admits. She has vague ideas of what siblinghood ought to be like, but no true experience to back any of those ideas up. Veronica isn’t sure why she admits this, but she supposes that Xander as earned her honesty, if nothing else.

If she were being honest with herself, which Veronica wasn’t, she might also admit that she was scared she might fail his expectations as a little sister, somehow. It’s not like she even knew what a little sister was supposed to be like, anyways. Whatever it was, Veronica doubted she was it.

Xander thinks about this for a moment, then says, “Well, it’s not something I think I can explain over tea. However, if you would give me some time, I think I can show you better regardless.”

To Veronica’s ears that sounds almost a little ominous, but maybe that’s just because it’s a promise for the future. No one has ever made a promise to be with her that long before.

Nodding, Veronica says, “Yes, I think a demonstration would be best.”

Xander leans across the table so he can take Veronica’s hand in his. His hand is much larger than hers, and covers her small fingers almost completely. When he squeezes her hand, ever so gently, Veronica wonders when the last time someone willingly touched her was. She can’t remember.

“I promise, then, to be your big brother for as long as I am able,” Xander says, and Veronica smiles.


End file.
